Storage apparatus



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 3, 1959 Fig.1.

Fig.2.

1961 o. POPPER STORAGE APPARATUS I 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 3, 1959Aug. 15, 1961 o. POPPER STORAGE APPARATUS Filed June 3, 1959 3Sheets-Sheet 5 Unite Patented Aug. 15, 1961 2,996,199 STORAGE APPARATUSOtto Popper, Flat 5, Tudor House, Parson St., London NW. 4, EnglandFiled June 3, 1959, Ser. No. 817,789 Claims priority, application GreatBritain June 18, 1958 1 Claim. (Cl. 214-161) The present inventionrelates to storage apparatus of the kind comprising a plurality ofcrates for the reception of articles to be stored and mechanicalhandling means for manoeuvring the crates to register a selected one ofthe crates with a loading station for charging and discharging crates.Each crate may consist of an open framework having a platform forsupporting articles, or alternatively each crate may consist of acontainer having an opening providing access to the interior of thecrate.

Known storage apparatus of this kind operate on the socallcd Paternosterprinciple and comprise a plurality of crates suspended from horizontalsupports which are secured to and extend between two spaced apartendless chains mounted upon upper and lower pulleys, and means fordriving the pulleys to manoeuvre the crates past a loading station. Theweight of the crates on one side of the pulleys approximately balancesthe weight of the crates on the other side of the pulleys, so that thechains together with the crates can be moved around the pulleys by amotor of small power.

The Paternoster storage apparatus has, however, the disadvantage thatthe crates must be spaced apart from one another to permit the necessaryclearance in their semi-circular paths around the upper and lowerpulleys, and for the storage of motor vehicles or other heavy articlesthe Paternoster apparatus requires a high and very strong supportingstructure since the total weight of the crates, together with theircontents, is suspended from the upper pulleys at the top of theapparatus.

The object of the invention is to provide improved storage apparatus ofthe kind described which makes better utilisation of available storagespace than the known Paternoster apparatus, and in which the weight ofthe containers together with their contents may, if desired, besupported at or adjacent ground level.

According to the invention there is provided storage apparatuscomprising a frame and a plurality of similar crates arranged in twoadjacent vertical columns extending through holding stations in theframe, support means for supporting crates in register With said holdingstations, the holding station crates supporting the weights oftheremainder of the crates in said columns, means for raising one columnand lowering the other column through said holding stations by adistance corresponding to the depth of one crate, means for transferringthe crate at the top of said one column to the top of said other column,and means for transferring the crate at the bottom of said other columnto the bottom of said one column, whereby the crates may be moved insuccession through a loading station for charging and discharging thecrates.

The holding stations may be at the bottom of the two columns, the bottomcrates then constituting the holding station crates and supporting theweight of the remainder of the crates superimposed thereon. Eachadjacent pair of crates in each column may, however, be interconnected,and the holding stations arranged above the bottom of the columns,whereby each holding station crate supports the weight of the cratessuperimposed thereon and also supports the weight of the cratesdepending therefrom. The means interconnecting adjacent crates areprefereably in the form of interlocking guides restraining relativevertical movement between the two crates but permitting relativelongitudinal sliding movement in a direction to- Wards the adjacentcolumn of crates, to facilitate transfer of the top and bottom cratesbetween the two columns. The interconnecting means between a top orbottom crate and its adjacent crate is of course only subjected to theweight of one crate, together with its contents, in the case where theholding stations are arranged between the top and bottom crates.

A preferred construction of storage apparatus according to the inventionand suitable for storing motor vehicles will now be described by way ofexample with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic front elevation view of'the apparatus, alongthe line 1-1 of FIG. 3,

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic side elevation view of the apparatus, along theline II-II of FIG. 3,

FIG. 3 is a view along the line III-Ill of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a perspective side view of part of a column of crates of theapparatus showing the construction of each crate.

FIG. 5 is a view showing, on an enlarged scale, details of theconstruction of the crates of FIG. 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the storage apparatus comprises a tallrectangular frame 19, a plurality of crates 11 arranged in two adjacentcolumns 12, 13, within the frame, gearing mechanism 14 for supportingthe crates designated 11a, 11b, in register with holding stations 15a,15b, upper transfer mechanism 16 and lower transfer mechanism 17.

The crates 11 are of similar shape and size, and each crate, asillustrated in side view in FIG. 4, comprises front and rear frames 18interconnected by two side frames 19, and a vehicle platform 29 whichprojects outwardly beyond the front and rear frames 18. Each frame 18consists of two vertical bars 21, a top bar 22 welded at its ends to theupper ends of the bars 21, and a bottom bar 23 welded at its ends to thelower ends of the bars 21. Each side frame 19 comprises a horizontal bar24 welded at its ends to the upper end portions of the bars 21 and twosupporting struts 25 welded to the bars 21, 24. The vehicle platform 20comprises two elongated plate members 26 which rest upon and are securedto the bottom 1 bars 23 of the frames 18, and a plate 27 welded acrossthe rear ends of the plate members 26. The two plate members 26, whichform tracks for the wheels of the vehicle to be stored in the crate, areprovided with upturned side flanges and outwardly flared front ends 28to facilitate loading and unloading of the vehicle onto the platemembers 26, and the plate 27 projects above the upper surface of theplate members 26 to form a rear stop for the vehicle.

The opposing outer sides of the vertical bars 21 of each frame 18 areprovided with teeth forming vertical racks 9 extending along the lengthsof the bars 21.

The inner side of the top bar 22 of each frame 18 is provided with aninwardly projecting horizontal flange 39 extending along the length ofthe bar 22, the flanges 30 being rounded off and tapered as shown inFIG. 5, and the top of the bar 22 is provided with teeth forming anupper horizontal rack 31 extending along the length of the bar 22. Theinner side of the bottom bar 23, of each frame is provided with achannel shaped lug 32 which extends along the length of the bar 23 andwhich projects inwardly and downwardly below the bar 23 with its troughopening horizontally outwards, and the bottom of the bar 23 is providedwith teeth forming a lower horizontal rack 33 extending along the lengthof the bar 23.

The two flanges 39 on each crate form upper guide means and the two lugs32 form lower guide means. The crates of each column are mounted oneabove the other with the flanges 30 on each crate engaged within thetroughs of the lugs 32 on the adjacent superimposed crate, and thearrangement of the flanges 30 and the lugs 32 is such that the upperracks 31 of each crate are spaced from the lower racks 33 of theadjacent superimposed crate. The engagement of the flanges 3%] on onecrate within the channel shaped lugs 32 of a superimposed crate thuspermits relative longitudinal movement of the two crates in a directiontowards the adjacent column of crates, but restrains relative verticalmovement between the two crates. Roller bearings may if desired beinterposed between the flanges 3t) and lugs 32, the bearings beingmounted on the side walls of the lugs 32.

The gearing mechanism 14 for supporting the crates 11a, 11b in registerwith the holding stations 15a, 151) (FIG. 1) comprises three gearassemblies spaced transversely across the frame with the centre gearassembly positioned between the two columns of crates. Each gearassembly comprises a horizontal shaft 35 provided with two pinions 36spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between the vertical racks29 on each side of a crate and two pairs of upper and lower toothed gearwheels 38 meshing with each pinion 36. The gear wheels 38 of the centregear assembly also meshes with the vertical racks 29 on the adjacentsides of the two crates 11a, 11b and the two gear wheels 38 of the twoouter gear assemblies mesh with the vertical racks 29 on the outer sidesof the crates 11a, 11b. The shafts 35 project outwardly in front of thetwo columns and are drivably connected by worm gearing 39 to a crossshaft 40. The cross shaft 40 is itself drivably connected by wormgearing 41 to an electric motor 42.

The upper transfer mechanism 16 is mounted at the top of the frame andcomprises a drive shaft 43 having two pinions 44 each meshing with apair of toothed gear wheels 45 arranged one on each side of the driveshaft 43. The two gear wheels 45 on the left-hand side of the shaft 43(FIG. 1) are arranged to mesh one with each of the upper horizontalracks 31 on the top crate of the column 12, and the two gear wheels 45on the right-hand side of the shaft 43 are arranged to mesh one witheach of the upper horizontal racks 31 on the top crate of the column 13.The shaft 43 is drivably connected by worm gearing 46 to an electricmotor 47.

The lower transfer mechanism 17 is mounted in a well 48 in the floor ofthe apparatus and comprises a drive shaft 49 having two pinions 50 eachmeshing with a pair of toothed gear wheels 51 arranged one on each sideof the drive shaft 49. The two gear wheels 51 on the lefthand side ofthe shaft 49 (FIG. 1) are arranged to mesh one with each of the lowerhorizontal racks 33 on the bottom crate of the column 12, and the twogear wheels 51 on the right-hand side of the shaft 49 are arranged tomesh one with each of the lower horizontal racks 33 on the bottom crateof the column 13. The shaft 49 is drivably connected by worm gearing 52to an electric motor 53.

The two columns 12, 13 each comprise the same number of crates and aretherefore of equal depth, but one of the columns is displaced downwardlywith respect to the other column by a distance equal to the depth of onecrate, and the holding stations 15a, 15b are spaced above the floor ofthe apparatus by a distance equal to the depth of one crate. In FIG. 1,the column 12 is displaced downwards with respect to the column 13, withthe second bottom crate 11a of column 12 in register with the holdingstation 15a and the bottom crate 11b of column 13 in register with theholding station 151). The crates positioned above the holding stationsrest upon the crates 11a, 11b and the bottom crate of column 12 issupported by the lugs 32 of the crate 11a. The crates 11a, 111) are inturn supported by the gearing mechanism 14, the torque transmitted tothe gear wheels 38 by the vertical racks 37 on the crate 1111 beingcounterbalanced by the opposing torque transmitted to the gear wheels 38by the vertical racks 37 on the crate 11b. Any resultant torque actingon the gear wheels 38 due to a dilference in weight 4 between the twocolumns is resisted by the frictional re sistance of the worm reductiongearing 39, 41.

The crates of each column are maintained in vertical alignment by guideplates 54 positioned between the two columns adjacent the upper andlower ends of the columns and by side plates 55 engaging the outer sidesof the crates at the top and bottom of the columns.

In order to manoeuvre a selected one of the crates 11 into a loadingstation 56 at the bottom of the column 12, the gear wheels 38 are drivenby the motor 42 in a direction to raise the crate 11a by a distanceequal to the depth of one crate, thereby drawing the bottom crate ofcolumn 12 into register with the holding station 15a, and simultaneouslylower the crate 1112 by a distance equal to the depth of one crate,thereby lowering the second bottom crate of column 13 into register withthe holding station 15b. This movement of the crates 11a, 11b raises thecolumn 12 to bring the upper horizontal racks 31 on the top crate ofcolumn 12 into engagement with the left-hand gear wheels 45 (FIG. 1) ofthe upper transfer means 16, and also lowers the column 13 to bring thelower horizontal racks 33 on the bottom crate of column 13 intoengagement with the right-hand gear wheels 51 (FIG. 1) of the lowertransfer means 17. The flanges 30 on the second top crate of column 12are then in alignment with the flanges 30 on the top crate of the column13, and the channel shaped lugs 32 on the second bottom crate of thecolumn 13 are in alignment with the lugs 32 on the bottom crate of thecolumn 12. The upper transfer mechanism 16 is then driven in a directionto slide the top crate of column 12 onto the top of column 13, and thelower transfer mechanism 17 is driven in a direction to slide the bottomcrate of column 13 onto the bottom of column 12, the tapered ends of theflanges 30 facilitate entry of the flanges into the channel shaped lugs32 of the superimposed or underlying crate upon transfer of a cratebetween the columns. The above described sequence of operations is thenrepeated until the selected crate is in register with the loadingstation 56.

The driving motors 42, 47, 53 are, of course, reversible to enable thecrates to be circulated in the opposite direction to that described withreference to FiGS. l and 2.

The holding stations may be located in the frame at any position whichis spaced from the transfer mechanism by a distance not less than thedepth of a crate. In general, the holding stations for apparatusdesigned to store heavy articles is preferably arranged adjacent thebottom of the frame, since the gearing mechanism 14 at the holdingstations supports the whole weight of the two columns. The holdingstations for apparatus designed to store light weight articles canconveniently be arranged near the top of the frame.

The storage apparatus according to the invention may be used, forexample, as a filing cabinet, :1 kitchen cabinet, or as a show case in ashop window and, in the case of such light-weight apparatus, thevertical movements of the two columns may be utilised to charge a springor other energy storing means suitable for operating the transfermechanisms, or the lifting and transfer mechanisms may be operated byhand.

The apparatus may be provided with a safety lock providing an additionalsupport for the crates and also immobilizing the operating mechanismduring loading and unloading of a crate.

In the storage apparatus described with reference to the drawings, eachcrate is provided with flanges 30 and lugs 32 forming guide means forinterlocking adjacent crates. The interlocking guide means may howeverbe omitted in storage apparatus in which the crates of each column restupon each other, the bottom crates of the two columns being supported inholding stations spaced from the bottom of the frame by a distance notless than the depth of a crate. For example, the bottom crates may besupported in the holding stations by releasable catches engaging theundersides of the crates, and the two columns raised and lowered byhydraulically operated vertical plungers engaging the undersides of thebottom containers. In this modified form of the storage apparatus, thebottom crate of a first column is released by initially raising thecolumn by the associated vertical plunger to release the catchesengaging the bottom crate and then lowering the first column to engagethe catches with the second bottom crate. The upper transfer mechanismpreferably comprises a horizontal plunger which slides the top crate ofthe second column onto the top of the first column, and the lowertransfer mechanism preferably comprises a further horizontal plungerwhich slides the container released from the first column along the baseof the frame and onto the head of the vertical plunger for raising thesecond column. The released container is then raised by the verticalplunger into the holding station for the second column, this lattercontainer displacing the bottom container of the second column from theholding station and thereby raising the second column by a distancecorresponding to the depth of a crate.

The storage apparatus according to the invention does not require aforecourt or lift shaft and therefore occupies relatively small groundarea, and it is particularly suitable for use in storage buildings inwhich access to the higher regions of the available storage space isdifiicult. Several storage units suitable for the stowage of vehiclesmay be arranged in a row one behind the other, acess to the unit at theback of the row being obtained by passageways formed in the other unitsby the spaces vacated by movement of the bottom crates under the actionof the bottom transfer mechanisms. The whole volume of a garage buildingmays thus be occupied by storage units according to the invention, thefloor of the garage preferably being substantially level with the floorof each unit to permit vehicles to be driven through the vacant space atthe bottom of each unit.

I claim:

A storage garage comprising a name and a plurality of similar cratesarranged in two adjacent vertical columns extending one through each oftwo adjacent holding stations in the frame, each crate being of a sizeto accommodate an automobile vehicle, upper guide means and lower guidemeans on each of said crates, the upper guide means on each crate beingarranged to interlock with the lower guide means on a superimposed crateand the interlocking guide means being arranged to permit relativemovement between two superimposed crates in a direction towards theadjacent column of crates but to restrain relative vertical movementbetween the two crates, spaced vertical racks on each of the two sidesof each crate, a gearing mechanism mounted on the frame and comprising acentre gear assembly positioned between the two crates in register withsaid holding stations and including gear wheels drivably coupled to oneanother and meshing with the vertical racks on the adjacent sides of theholding station crates, two side gear assemblies positioned one on eachside of the frame and each including gear wheels drivably coupled to oneanother and meshing with the vertical racks on the outer side of theassociated holding station crate, and a cross-shaft drivably coupled toeach of said gear assemblies, said gearing mechanism being so arrangedthat the torques exerted on said cross-shaft due to the weight of thetwo holding station crates act in opposite directions whereby thegearing mechanism acts as a support means for the whole weight of saidtwo columns by supporting the holding station crates and the cratessuperimposed upon and depending from the holding station crates, powerdriven means coupled to said gearing mechanism and arranged to drivesaid mechanism to raise one column and lower the other column throughsaid holding stations by a distance corresponding to the depth of onecrate, means for transferring the crate at the top of said one column tothe top of said other column, and means for transferring the crate atthe bottom of said other column to the bottom of said one column,whereby the crates may be moved in succession through a loading stationfor charging and discharging the crates.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,593,882 Robinson July 27, 1926 1,782,410 Cook Nov. 25, 1930 1,817,237Cook Aug. 4, 1931

